With many state governments complaining of the shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, data collated from the health ministry shows that the states on average have more than five days of stocks remaining with them, Times of India has reported. An additional week’s supply of jabs is in the pipeline, it added.

Amid claims of shortage, the health ministry for the first time on April 8 released details of vaccine availability.

The ministry said, "Total administered: 9 cr+. In stock/nearing delivery to states: 4.3 cr+. Where does question of shortages arise? We're continuously monitoring & enhancing supply".

Let’s put an end to fear mongering now!#COVID19Vaccine doses:

Total administered: 9 cr+
In stock/nearing delivery to states: 4.3 cr+
Where does question of shortages arise?
We're continuously monitoring & enhancing supply pic.twitter.com/NllmH3kifQ
— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) April 8, 2021

However, data from some states paints a different story. Andhra Pradesh and Bihar's stocks won't last more than two days. Even with the supplies that are coming in, Odisha even will have barely enough vaccines for four days.

According to the health ministry analysis, at April’s vaccination rate of almost 3.6 million doses a day, the stock of about 19.6 million doses will last about five and a half days. There an additional 24.5 million vaccines in the pipeline, which would be enough for another week, it said.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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COVID-19 update | India has vaccine stock for 5.5 days: Report

Data for states like Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, however, shows their current stocks won't even last two days, while Odisha's would run out in four days even with the new supplies that are coming in.

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